The present invention relates to a tool for assisting the coach of a sports team, or for assisting a group of individuals participating in a game or other activity. More specifically, the invention relates to a tool that provides for a fair rotation of players or participants among a plurality of positions or tasks in a sporting event, game or activity.
In recreational sports, such as soccer and baseball, there arc a fixed number of playing positions. In baseball there are nine playing positions, and in adult soccer, there are eleven playing positions. In many youth soccer leagues, there are from three to eight playing positions. Roster sizes vary from team to team, but almost always include more players than playing positions. Typically, in a sporting event in which children are involved, it is important to fairly move the children around among the various playing positions, and make certain that each child receives equal playing time. It is particularly difficult when dealing with younger children to coordinate their activities on the field, teach them how to play the game, while at the same time keeping track of who is playing which position and how long each child has been at each position. It is often impossible to prepare a set rotation of players and positions prior to game time, because the coach does not always know which players will show Lip, nor the total number of players that will show up.
The prior art has not adequately addressed the issue of assisting coaches in providing a fair rotation of players among a plurality of positions in a sporting event or game. The prior art only discloses devices for passively tracking the current playing position occupied by each player, but does not disclose a device that pro-actively instructs a coach which players are to occupy the various playing positions and which players are to occupy reserve positions (i.e., out or bench positions). For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,197 (the '197 patent), discloses a volleyball rotation counter. As shown in FIG. 1 of the '197 patent, the volleyball rotation counter 10 includes a frame 20 and two rotatable disks 40. Rotatable disks 40 have upper surfaces 48 capable of receiving visible, removable markings. Each disk 40 represents a different one of two teams playing volleyball. The two disks 40 arc separated by intermediate portion 170, which represents the volleyball net between the two teams. Each disk 40 includes six position spaces 140, representing the twelve playing positions on the volleyball court. In each position space 140, the umpire marks the number of the player who is in that playing position. The umpire then keeps track of the playing position occupied by each player by rotating the appropriate disk 40 in response to the players of a team rotating playing positions. The '197 patent discloses nothing about accommodating extra players that occupy reserve positions, and providing a rotation of players among playing positions and reserve positions.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,080 (the '080 patent) discloses a game position monitoring device that merely keeps track of the playing position occupied by each member of a team. Referring to FIG. 1 of the '080 patent, the position monitoring device 10 includes a carrying member 12 adapted to receive either the names or uniform numbers of the various playing members of the team, or alternatively, the playing positions that are to be occupied in playing the game. The position monitoring device 10 also includes a rotatable clement 16 that includes spaces 18 for receiving the appropriate information, such as the names or uniform numbers of players, or the playing positions that are to be occupied in playing the game. As with the rotation counter disclosed in the '197 patent, the monitoring device in the '080 patent passively monitors which player is in which playing position, and does not actively assign players to positions, including playing positions and reserve positions.